June 5, 2001, Turk drops his debut album, "Young & Thuggin'" on Cash Money & Universal Records. It was produced entirely by Mannie Fresh. Among the guests featured on the album were his fellow Hot Boys, the Big Tymers and Mack 10. Young & thuggin basically sums up Turk's profile as a rap artist. With his first solo album, Turk gets the chance to distinguish himself as his Hot Boys brethren Lil Wayne. He's also the last Hot Boy to have a solo album and seemingly the one with the most to prove. Despite making his debut on Juvenile’s 1997 album "Solja Rags", he’s been the Hot Boy to get the least time on the microphone 🎤 as well as their group efforts and his absence from several live dates and other obligations has led to speculation about his future career. But for now, it’s all on him to get his shine. It's never easy for young artists to find their own voice, especially when they’re part of a successful artistic family. If they seek to profit from their family ties, they shouldn’t venture off too far on their own. One of the reasons Cash Money has been so successful these past years is their strong corporate identity. When you buy one of their albums, you just know things will be kept in the family with the Hot Boys and Big Tymers making guest appearances on each other’s albums and Mannie Fresh supplying the beats. Even though change is not always a good thing, that’s what I expect when I buy Cash Money product. Like the Wu-Tang Clan 👐🏾, each member claims to host a different chamber, they still all live under the same roof. The Clan ultimately conquered the world 🌍 with their unique corporate identity. But just like the Wu-Tang temple has undergone renovations and expansions, the Cash Money aural residence is experiencing makeovers, however at a much smaller scale. On Turk's debut album, Mannie Fresh supplies all the beats and the Cash Money Millionaires still crowd the guest spots. One of the things I like about Mannie Fresh is he continues to make good beats, but he adds more variations to them. The three dominant/prominent hip-hop producers of today, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland and Mannie Fresh, all have one thing in common: they prefer spending their time hitting keyboards 🎹 and programming drum machines rather than digging in the crates for samples. When it comes to making beats, dope samples are necessary to make a dope album especially if you have a good ear 👂🏾 for music. That’s why his tracks work on parallel levels: they float and bounce at the same time, they soothe and stir at the same time. You don’t have to go further into "Young & Thuggin'" than "Bout to Go Down", where all these qualities come into effect. He’s also great at creating moods. Check the trouble-seeking “Yes We Do” that he laces with melodies that could come straight off Giorgio Moroder’s "Scarface" soundtrack. Or the playfully confrontational "Wanna Be Down". With a rapper like Turk and a producer like Mannie Fresh the beats will always be more interesting than the rhymes. Unless the producer seriously slips and/or the rapper surpasses himself unexpectedly. That does not mean that these two don’t belong together. You wouldn’t wanna hear a backpack rapper kicking his rhymes over these beats. It just wouldn’t sound right. While Turk and Mannie might not be the perfect combination like the other Hot Boys paired with Mannie are, they’re a good combination. As far as rapping goes, you're not missing anything lyrically. Some have it and some don't. Don’t bother looking for intricate plots, ill similes and clean-cut rhymes on this album. There’s not many. If you’re not into this thug thing and scapegoat Cash Money for all that’s wrong with hip-hop just because their infamous ‘bling-bling’ term stuck in your head, then you’re not trying to pick this album up anyway. With Turk's style of rapping, it's definitely what you'll expect from a representative of the Cash Money roster. Check the steadily rising and lowering delivery in the current single "It’s in Me" that gives you a sensation as if you’re gently hit by a wave of word sound every other bar. In Mannie Fresh’s soulful and spicy orchestration, the rappers play their parts just like all the other instruments. Like the other Hot Boys, Turk does not have the same amount of rapping skills at close inspection. A perfect example is the song "Untamed Guerilla". He keeps the same composure, whether he’s aggravated or peaceful. At the extremes of the lyrical spectrum there are rappers who bring up a new topic in every line on one side, and on the other side there are those who use a whole song to make the same claims over and over again. Once you grasp the idea of the song, you feel like you don’t have to listen to the lyrics anymore. If you remember the song "No Endz, No Skinz" by the late Big L (R.I.P.)🙏🏾🪦⚰️🕯🕊🌷🌹💐, that was based on the statement that you can’t get any female 👱🏾‍♀️ companionship if you have no money 💵💵💵💵💵💵. L kept repeating himself, but you kept listening for how he was going to word it. There are also songs on "Young & Thuggin'" I can totally appreciate. "Trife Livin'" showcases what originally made Cash Money great: conveying a feeling through track and melodic flow alone. “What Would You Do” seeks the listener’s participation in a suspenseful tale where drug business and personal business conflict with each other. The closing "Hallways & Cuts" provides a haunting experience as Mickey, B.G. and Turk, wrapped in a spooky aural aura, describe in stunning detail what’s going on in them project hallways, corridors and cuts. The most solid cut on this album has to be the simply titled "Project". Hakiem of the Capos works the chorus, which makes for a nice change. Apart from that the track is all left to Turk who gives his best performance, changing up his melodic flow while Mannie’s track hits you from all angles: it’s melodic yet thumping and smooth yet sharper than a muthafuckin' butcher knife. From when the only recognizable voice in the Hot Boys used to be Juvenile to now that we know each member from solo efforts, I’ll admit that Turk fits nicely into the Cash Money corporate identity. I ain't gonna say he's the weakest link of the crew, but together with the rest of the Hot Boys, they pull it off well. The story of Cash Money Records has been one of sudden and continued success and I don’t see it about to end as long as their main asset, the music, continues to be as entertaining. I’ve come across so many CMR-related screen names on the internet. If you’re a real fan, go support Turk and buy this album.